Fruition 2
by penmom
Summary: Several years after The First is put out to pasture, things heat up for Dawn and Xander as they face the issues surrounding the whole keyness issue.
1. Default Chapter

Fruition 2.0  
  
By Penmom  
  
As you well know, the usual things apply. This is my sequel to my other D/X fic - Dawn's Hero. It is post-BtVS; so it is obviously AU. You may or may not know that this is my second version of Fruition. I really liked how the piece started out but as I continued I felt like I was losing track of Dawn and Xander's characters. I thought to myself - it's your show (for once) just change it and so I have begun again. The story will be similar but hopefully cleaner and clearer. Premise - Dawn and Xander find out more than they wanted to know about the Key and its implications about their future. Let me know what you think, especially if you read Dawn's Hero or Fruition 1.0.  
  
Chapter 1 - Seattle Fall 2008  
  
She is desperately trying to finish this last chapter but the colorful umbrellas outside in the gray drizzle continue to capture her attention. There is something so soothing about the rain. Especially when you're curled up all cozy and warm.  
  
The window seat is probably her favorite spot in the whole house with its overstuffed chintz cushions and its view of the street below. With a good cup of tea and her mom's old afghan, she could stay here all afternoon.  
  
Without thought, she weaves her fingers through the holes in the afghan just like she did when she was a little girl. When Willow gave her the blanket last Christmas, she couldn't believe it. She had long ago resigned herself to the fact that they had all lost so much that day - that the material objects just couldn't factor into the grief she felt - still feels. Mourning childhood toys and yearbooks seemed a little trite when people were dead.  
  
But when she opened the package, the rush of home was bittersweet and instantaneous. She keenly remembered holding the black and purple knit up to her face and actually inhaling her mother's scent. Willow explained that she had checked out all the reasons not to - before deciding to pull something out of the past for everybody. What had she said - 'something to hold on to"? Giles had thought it would be OK but he probably just didn't give a damn at this point.  
  
It seemed like - careful or not - bad things would invariably happen. So, you might as well walk under all the ladders that you please and if you feel like it, break mirrors every day of the week. Good and bad rained down at random - or perhaps not? Anyhow, the grand plan is a lot bigger than she could ever hope to see from her little perch. She learned a long time ago to grab the good with both hands and fight like hell to keep it.  
  
Back to The Fountainhead - why on earth did she decide to take Mid- Twentieth Century Classics 305? It seemed like a good idea way back in April when she registered. Oh well, she's been through worse things! What an understatement, she thinks.  
  
She jumps at the sound of the jigsaw coming from upstairs. No matter how many times she hears it, it still grates on her nerves. Again, there are worse things - and the good things that come from the things that Xander makes with his hands provide them with this nice, cozy life where she really doesn't have to worry about money or demons or anything like that. OK, sometimes, she kind of misses that living on the edge feeling but not often.  
  
After that Sunnydale was swallowed up, they had all stuck together for a time. Ultimately ending up at Kennedy's parents' house in the Hamptons. It was huge and empty since her parents were in Italy for the entire summer. For a couple weeks, it seemed like they all just slept and then, slowly, real life called. Faith and Wood left together - to only God knows where. Many of the girls went back to their homes. A few stayed, sticking close to Giles and Buffy.  
  
Giles spent hours and hours on the phone before finally flying back to London. Her relationship with Xander had slowly come out in the open that summer so when Buffy, Willow and the remaining Slayers joined Giles, it was kind of understood that she and Xander would stay back.  
  
The Watchers Guild had practically unlimited resources and in the end, Giles was the headman. He quickly begin to reshape the Guild into something more useful to the multiple of slayers on the horizon. Buffy and Willow fell into his plan comfortably.  
  
In the late spring of 2004, Buffy awoke one morning to find a newly human Spike on her doorstep. By noon that day they had eloped to Scotland and by Christmas there were twin nephews on the way. Both working for Giles, they had settled into an alarmingly domestic routine.  
  
Yes, it all seemed to fall into place. Once they were alone, they realized that they could do whatever they pleased. Eventually that meant, buying this loft in Seattle with space to live and to work. Xander had started making furniture just to stay busy but it had fast turned into an art form. He had a wait list of several years for some of his pieces. Even Hollywood types were waiting for hutches and coffee tables! Xander would often joke about how the whole coffee table thing started.  
  
After being a bum for a good while, she had started college. Xander could care less if she even finished but now, she was a semester away from her BA in Comparative Literature.  
  
Giving up on the book, she rises, it was about time for dinner anyway. Time to pull Xander away from his work and see about getting some food.  
  
TBC 


	2. Chapter 2

Fruition 2.0  
  
By Penmom  
  
As you well know, the usual things apply. This is my sequel to my other D/X fic - Dawn's Hero. It is post-BtVS; so it is obviously AU. You may or may not know that this is my second version of Fruition. I really liked how the piece started out but as I continued I felt like I was losing track of Dawn and Xander's characters. I thought to myself - it's your show (for once) just change it and so I have begun again. The story will be similar but hopefully cleaner and clearer. Premise - Dawn and Xander find out more than they wanted to know about the Key and its implications about their future. Let me know what you think, especially if you read Dawn's Hero or Fruition 1.0.  
  
Chapter 2 - "Spidy Sense"  
  
In their favorite little Chinese restaurant, Xander stares out as the evening begins to darken. The rain has stopped but in its place in a dense fog. He's thankful he doesn't have to drive in this mess. Two streets over and they were home.  
  
He hears the door swing in the back of the restaurant and turns to watch as Dawn comes out of the bathroom. She lights up a room. Figuratively and literally, he thinks with a smile. Even in old jeans and one of his tee shirts, she's beautiful.  
  
As she takes her seat across from him, her eyes sparkle. "You didn't eat all the shrimp, did you?"  
  
Grinning back he answers, "Guilty as charged. Shouldn't have been gone so long. Serves you right".  
  
"You just wait - next time I eat all your Ben & Jerry's - I'm not going to replace it!"  
  
"My Ben & Jerry's - since when is it my Ben & Jerry's, Mrs. Harris? I seem to remember some Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough with your name on it!" he teases.  
  
They both laugh enjoying the moment. Food and their on-going need to eat lots of it was a running joke between the two of them; culminating with Xander presenting her with a free standing freezer last Christmas filled to the brim with Ben & Jerry's Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream.  
  
Standing as he holds out a hand to her, "Ready?"  
  
"For anything" she teases as she brushes up against him as she stands.  
  
Hand in hand they pay their bill and walk out into the blanket of fog. The feel of it makes Xander uneasy for some reason and without a word; he picks up the pace to cover the 2 blocks to home. Dawn has the same feeling and keeps up easily.  
  
As they walk, neither can help but feel something akin to a "spidy sense" going off at full throttle. Dawn can feel the hair standing up on the back of her neck. Xander stops as he squeezes her hand. Communicating to her with a simple touch. She continues to hold his hand but slides her body a bit behind his. It's been years since they've faced anything otherworldly.  
  
She feels the energy between them starting to hum. She is used to it humming through her veins especially when they touch and even more so, when any emotional is involved. But this is the first time that fear has sparked it.  
  
Suddenly, a figure of some kind is running toward them. In the fog, it is hard to make out. She feels Xander's body start to tense readying itself to fight.  
  
Suddenly out of the mist, there are two figures, now three. The biggest of the three hooded figures pushes Xander down while the other two go for each side of Dawn. It suddenly occurs to him that they are trying to take Dawn. This sudden realization snaps something inside of him.  
  
He yells out, "No" as he pushes the figure off of him as he sprints toward Dawn. The figure charges at him again, he charges back with a fierce push. Looking down, he realizes that his hands are faintly glowing in the fog. As they make contact with his attacker, the attacker also glows for a second and just as suddenly turns to a pile of ash.  
  
No time to dwell on it, he turns to where Dawn is still managing to fight off the two attacking her. While he watches, she begins to glow as well, giving off a bright light as if lit from the inside. As with his opponent, they also seem to pick up the glow from her and dwindle into ash as well.  
  
TBC 


	3. Chapter 3

Fruition 2.0  
  
By Penmom  
  
As you well know, the usual things apply. This is my sequel to my other D/X fic - Dawn's Hero. It is post-BtVS; so it is obviously AU. You may or may not know that this is my second version of Fruition. I really liked how the piece started out but as I continued I felt like I was losing track of Dawn and Xander's characters. I thought to myself - it's your show (for once) just change it and so I have begun again. The story will be similar but hopefully cleaner and clearer. Premise - Dawn and Xander find out more than they wanted to know about the Key and its implications about their future. Let me know what you think, especially if you read Dawn's Hero or Fruition 1.0.  
  
Chapter 3 - The Monk  
  
The trek to their door had never seemed so long to Xander. He felt as if every one of his senses was tuned razor sharp. The dense fog seems thick against his skin and Dawn's breath echoes in his ear.  
  
Finally the door! The lights muted, it is difficult to see the brightly colored door through the fog. Putting the key into the lock, his feet hit something solid on the ground in front of the doorstep. He pushes the door open to provide more light. Through the beam of light, he immediately recognizes the shape of a man.  
  
"What? What is it?" Dawn cries out behind him.  
  
Turning he addresses her tersely, "Dawn get in the house, NOW."  
  
Recognizing the warning in his voice, she skips over the rumpled figure and into the relative safety of the hallway. Xander quickly enters behind her and bends to pull whomever it is into the house with them before slamming the door shut.  
  
Only once the lock slides into place, does he turn his attention to their guest. Turning the body, he checks for a pulse while Dawn peers over his shoulder.  
  
The man has a very faint pulse. He is a slightly built man wearing some kind of brown robe, with the hood drawn up over his head. Xander pulls the hood back to get a better look at the man.  
  
God, but this guy's got an awful haircut! Before Xander can try to rouse him, the man's eyes open abruptly. For a moment it seems that he sees nothing but finally focuses on Xander and then finally on Dawn kneeling behind him.  
  
At the sight of Dawn, the man smiles and murmurs something in Latin. While neither understand the phrase, it is clear that it is some sort of thanksgiving.  
  
The man seems to realize the neither of the young people looking down at him understand him, he gathers what little energy that he has and tries again.  
  
Dawn's voice - a little shaky - breaks the silence, "He looks like --- a monk, I think".  
  
Xander answers, his voice more resolute, "He is --- I remember Buffy telling about the one she met. He seems --- like the real deal."  
  
Neither Xander nor Dawn needs to voice their trepidation at finding a monk at their door.  
  
The man gasps, gathering what air he can before he speaks, "I have come to warn you. There are those in the Order who are frightened by what has become of the key."  
  
Looking at their blank faces, he tries again. There is so much they don't know. "Your marriage --- your joining --- has changed the nature of the key's energy. It is now in both of you and growing stronger. It was thought that when the --- the girl expired that the key could be returned to its keeping to the order. But, we have been watching. There are many that fear that the key cannot be returned that the key is beyond us. That it is to longer ours to guard but yours. Many fear this, the key, it's keeping has been their only reason for existence for many, many centuries. Without it, they feel lost, our numbers are dwindling. There has been much debate. Some have decide to take the girl and try to release the key."  
  
Xander interrupts the man's words, "They already have."  
  
"Yes, I know. But I see they could not."  
  
At this fact, both Dawn and Xander look down. Even in self defense, it is hard to know that each of them killed someone.  
  
The monk coughs a rattling cough before continuing. They also tried to stop me. In that my brothers may have been successful. They found that I was coming to warn you." Another cough shakes his body.  
  
Dawn draws herself out of her stupor, she crawls closer to him, "Let us call a doctor."  
  
"No!" The man's voice is forceful in his answer. "There is not much time. There is a prophency. That the key, its energy --- would come to fruition. That it would evolve into something else not just energy but an entity of some kind. The Order fears that this will soon come to pass and they wish to stop it. Their fear, their greed --- they want the key back."  
  
The man's emotional plea seems to have affected him further and his grasps for air increase. He looks to Xander. "I --- I am the one --- who helped to make this child --- this beautiful child --- a good person, a good --- heart --- but --- much more ---you must protect ---." He coughs some more, his body shaking and then suddenly, his robes collapse. He is simply gone.  
  
He leaves silence and dismay in his wake, as they kneel beside the empty brown garment. Looking down, Dawn sees something and picks it up. "What's this?" she asks wearily, holding the box toward Xander.  
  
It is a small, crudely made wooden box. Xander takes the box but hesitates to open it. Laying the box aside, he stands, wanting to take some kind of action but not knowing what.  
  
He checks the locks again. He turns to Dawn and sees that she is clearly overwhelmed by the whole encounter. Taking her by the hand, he leads her up the stairs and into the bedroom.  
  
******************************  
  
She lies down on flat on the big bed. The ceiling seems to spin, it continues to spin even after she closes her eyes. She feels the bed shift as Xander comes to lie beside her in a similar fashion.  
  
While they are not touching in any concrete sense, the aura of energy they share begins to merge. It merges until the two are encased in a shell of light and energy. The aura seems to hold their true selves within it and these selves slide and weave over and through each other again and again until it is like a blanket enfolding them both. Both willingly slide into sleep as their subconscious minds rebound from the shocks of the last hour. 


	4. Chapter 4

Fruition 2.0  
  
By Penmom  
  
As you well know, the usual things apply. This is my sequel to my other D/X fic - Dawn's Hero. It is post-BtVS; so it is obviously AU. You may or may not know that this is my second version of Fruition. I really liked how the piece started out but as I continued I felt like I was losing track of Dawn and Xander's characters. I thought to myself - it's your show (for once) just change it and so I have begun again. The story will be similar but hopefully cleaner and clearer. Premise - Dawn and Xander find out more than they wanted to know about the Key and its implications about their future. Let me know what you think, especially if you read Dawn's Hero or Fruition 1.0. Thanks to Silversonnet, Kristy Marie and Rob Clark for the feedback, I'm glad you think this is better. Sorry to the XanderZone folks - I just don't have the time to post - If anyone wants to post this else where that's fine, just let me know where!  
  
Chapter 4 - The Box  
  
They wake abruptly, neither having any idea how much time has elapsed. Their consciousness seems to be synchronized as their hearts find matching rhythms. Xander keenly feels Dawn's worry, her dread of the unknown.  
  
Dawn sits up and stretches her cramped muscles. She looks down to check her watch, only to find that it is broken.  
  
"Not another one?" Xander asks, quite aware of his wife's habit of burning out the batteries in her watches with stunning regularity.  
  
She shakes her head, "Yeah, and I really liked this one!" she says with a pout, holding out the Goofy watch with backwards hands.  
  
Xander takes the watch as he stands, "Hey, maybe this one hasn't gone all melty like the last one".  
  
Xander looks at her sheepishly, "Well, do you want to ignore the pink elephant a while longer or rush head long into danger?"  
  
This wry acknowledgment of their sinking circumstances brings a grin to her lovely face. "My better judgement tells me to run like hell but I'm guessing that's not the right answer."  
  
"Is there one?"  
  
"No, probably not." She admits. Taking a deep breath, she volunteers for the inevitable as they head back down the stairs, "I'll call Giles, it's gotta be morning over there by now."  
  
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$  
  
Xander inspects the box. "What about this? Should we open it?"  
  
Dawn's shakes her head. And she was supposed to be the younger one? "Why don't we call Giles first. We can always take a digital picture of the box and email it to him. Just in case, you know." She suddenly sounds a lot like Joyce.  
  
"Yes, Mom." He says with a bow. Laughing, he heads down the hall to find out what time it really is.  
  
***************** Several hours later, after showers in the middle of the night and a massive amount of bagels with cream cheese and strawberry jam slathered on top, Xander and Dawn are on the speaker phone with Giles as he looks at the picture of the box.  
  
"Umm, I can't see any distinguishing markings from the photograph. How about from the other angles, anything?"  
  
"Nope". Dawn answers as she continues to lick strawberry jam off her fingers. It is now 9:30 am in London and they have been talking to Giles since a little past midnight their time and despite their impromptu nap, they are both getting tired.  
  
Stifling a yawn, Dawn chimes in "Giles, I not feeling any kind a wiggy, spider sense thingy about it. I think it's OK to open it."  
  
"Yeah, me too. Not even a hum and most things kind of hum now especially organic things like wood."  
  
Giles coughs on the other end of the line. Dawn can see him cleaning his glasses all the way from Seattle. Since they had first talked to the Scoobies about their growing connection, all have been accepting but dubious.  
  
Given that the group has encountered quite its share of the otherworldly, you would think that their link would be no biggie. But something you can't feel, you can't touch or experience yourself, it is less than quantifiable even for this group.  
  
They had held back sharing the more recent manifestations of their link figuring that until it pertained to something or another, it was best to keep things quiet. Plus, there was a special intimacy in a secret between just the two of them. "Yes, well --- I would heartily recommend waiting until I arrive before opening the ----"  
  
While Giles is speaking, Xander has picked up the little box and has gestured to Dawn for either a thumb's up or a thumb's down.  
  
Dawn gives an enthusiastic thumb's up, ready to get on with it. She hops over to where Xander is sitting on the couch so that she can have a good look at whatever it is. As soon as she's over to his side, Xander opens the unassuming little box, as Giles drones on about Gatwick verses Heathrow.  
  
The crude little box holds a folded piece of parchment. Unfolding it, Xander find the piece of paper, no bigger than an index card just as unassuming as the box.  
  
There are seven words and several strange symbols on the parchment. Xander tilts the paper up to the light, squinting to read the small print. Beside him, Dawn does the same. The script is small and even but it still takes some effort to decipher it. Giving an aspirated sigh, Xander passes it to Dawn - who has two good eyes to put to the task.  
  
As Giles' lecture on the Airports of Britain winds down, they are momentarily drawn away from the object at hand.  
  
"So, I say, if I leave now, I should be there by this time tomorrow."  
  
"Ahhh, Giles, we're OK, really. I don't know if you need to come all this way---"  
  
Giles interrupts before Xander can continue. "On the contrary, I think it would be quite prudent. I dare say your sister will wish to come as well. Under no circumstance should you tamper with the box until we can look into this further."  
  
This time Dawn interrupts, "Too late, Giles, we've already opened it. And it's fine; it's just a tiny piece of paper with something written on it. We're looking at it right now and it seems plain enough. No spookiness of any kind".  
  
"Good Heavens Dawn, whatever you do, do not attempt to read the words aloud! Put it down this instant! I beg of you, you have no idea --- "  
  
TBC 


	5. Chapter 5

Fruition 2.0  
  
By Penmom  
  
As you well know, the usual things apply. This is my sequel to my other D/X fic - Dawn's Hero. It is post-BtVS; so it is obviously AU. You may or may not know that this is my second version of Fruition. I really liked how the piece started out but as I continued I felt like I was losing track of Dawn and Xander's characters. I thought to myself - it's your show (for once) just change it and so I have begun again. The story will be similar but hopefully cleaner and clearer. Premise - Dawn and Xander find out more than they wanted to know about the Key and its implications about their future. Let me know what you think, especially if you read Dawn's Hero or Fruition 1.0. Finally and last BUT not least Thanks to my faithful few - Silversonnet, Rob Clark and Kristy Marie!!! So, what do you think about this????? Hope the Great Pumpkin is Good to You!  
  
Chapter 5 - Move away from the Lamps  
  
"OK, OK!" Xander announces. "No deciphering until reinforcements arrive but do me a favor - leave Buffy and her brood in London!" The thought of Buffy, Spike, the two little Spikes and the new baby arriving for a visit was a more terrifying prospect than any ominous piece of paper.  
  
Hearing Xander's appeal, Dawn's chimes in to agreed. "Please Giles, don't tell her! She's got her hands full with baby Joy!"  
  
"Very well, perhaps Willow can accompany me."  
  
Giles begins to drone on again, while Xander and Dawn share a celebratory high five over their small victory. The last time Buffy and Spike had shown up, the twins - Will and Alex - had managed to cause mayhem wherever they went. A better advertisement for family planning had never been published.  
  
Finally, the plans made and the two head back upstairs for bed. Tomorrow was going to be a long day!  
  
******************************  
  
Once in bed, Dawn turns toward her husband. There are only of few side effects to the whole key situation that they've identified but one is definitely the ability to generate energy. And generate energy they do. As she matured, it seemed like the energy they created grew and grew until finally hitting a plateau about a year ago. It wasn't unusual for every light and appliance in the house to come on in the middle of ---well; Xander doesn't leave the saws plugged up anymore.  
  
It does seem that along with the energy comes an increased libido. But sometimes she wonders if the desire has more to do with facilitating the joining of the two parts of the Key than satisfying any physical need. Whatever the reason, she welcomes it - the joining, the closeness, and the pleasure. As he reaches for her, drawing her closer into the curve of his body - she dismisses her thoughts - this may be the last quiet moment they have for a long while.  
  
**************************  
  
Anyone boarding American Airlines Flight 364 to Seattle would notice the attractive couple. Given the disparity in their ages, one might easily assume that the stunning young woman was most likely the gentleman's second wife. The man was handsome, distinguished; one of those man who might actually look more attractive as he ages. The two seem to be intensively involved in whatever they are discussing, the man leaning in to put an arm around the women as they take their seats. The fact that the man is actually the last remaining icon of an ancient guild of Watchers and the woman is the most powerful witch in the Western Hemisphere is lost on everyone on the plane including each other.  
  
********************************  
  
Giles and Willow arrive to 318 Waterfront Circle on a blustery October day. When they ring the bell, they hear Xander call out to him to come in. They open the door to find Xander on a tall ladder in the hallway. He looks to be changing a light bulb.  
  
Looking at Willow and Giles, he promptly climbs down from his perch to greet them. "Well Gorgeous, how ya' doing?" he asks as he pulls Willow into a huge bear hug.  
  
"Fine, if I could my breathe!" She answers, pulling back a bit to look at him while they talk.  
  
He's aged nicely she thinks. Fast approaching thirty, he has lost whatever baby fat he had once accumulated. The patch, he persists in wearing despite the opportunity to have a prosthetic eye, affords him a dangerous edge. The accompanying scar along his cheek only seems to highlight his cheekbone. His broad shoulders are sturdy and muscular under his thermal long-sleeve tee shirt and his legs are solid and lean. She muses that he looks more the role of the pirate than the role of a carpenter.  
  
Hearing the commotion, Dawn comes out from the kitchen, launching herself into Giles' arms. Truly the only father she has ever had, she feels better to having him near.  
  
**********************  
  
Late afternoon finds the foursome settled in front of the huge stone fireplace drinking steaming mugs of hot tea. The events of the previous day have been recounted several different times and the small piece of parchment has been scanned and sent to the Guild in London for further study and interpretation. Giles has made it clear that this small sentence should be the top priority of his research staff.  
  
"It helps to be the top dog" Xander quips.  
  
Looking slightly embarrassed by the observation, Giles moves on to another piece of the puzzle. "Now onto this new found talent of yours. You say it's the first time it's manifested itself like this?"  
  
Xander pulls himself up to the edge of his chair, looking anxious enough for him and Dawn both. "It's the first time that we've ever been under attack but yes, it's the first time we've incinerated three people if that's what you mean" he sarcastically clarifies.  
  
Dawn reaches out to take his hand as she reframes his words; "It's always seemed like some kind of magnetic or electrical impulse but this is the first time that it's --- that we've hurt anything or --- anyone." She says the last word with a sigh.  
  
Uncomfortable with her distress, Giles speaks again. "Very well then, do you think that you could --- the two of you that is --- attempt to demonstrate this energy you are describing --- that is if it wouldn't be too difficult."  
  
Blushing, Dawn responds again for them both, "We can do it here, I mean, it used to be that it only happened when we were --- well, you know, but now it's a lot easier."  
  
Xander chimes in with more information, "It used to always start with Dawnie and then go to me. But for about two years now, it's ---" hesitating he continues as if he is revealing an important secret, "it's in me too. All the time now. I can start it just like Dawnie."  
  
Dawn realizes how hard it is for Xander to admit this fact that he is somehow part of the key now. It is something they accept but rarely discuss. That he is scared is something he really doesn't like to admit. She squeezes his hand reassuringly and pulls him up. She smiles at them actually looking excited about the demonstration to come.  
  
With a giggle in her voice she advises them in move away from the lamps.  
  
TBC 


	6. Chapter 6

Fruition 2.0  
  
By Penmom  
  
As you well know, the usual things apply. This is my sequel to my other D/X fic - Dawn's Hero. It is post-BtVS; so it is obviously AU. You may or may not know that this is my second version of Fruition. I really liked how the piece started out but as I continued I felt like I was losing track of Dawn and Xander's characters. I thought to myself - it's your show (for once) just change it and so I have begun again. The story will be similar but hopefully cleaner and clearer. Premise - Dawn and Xander find out more than they wanted to know about the Key and its implications about their future. Let me know what you think, especially if you read Dawn's Hero or Fruition 1.0. Thanks to the Faithful Few - you know who you are..  
  
Chapter 6 - Little Bursts of Golden Light  
  
Xander moves the coffee table and comes to stand in front of Dawn. They both sit down, legs crosses Indian style across from each other. While this activity has become quite natural for them, they have never called up this force when others were watching. She closes her eyes to block out the distraction. His follow suit.  
  
As they did that first night so long ago, they raise their palms and touch. They immediately feel the familiar energy flowing forth, rushing like a river through and in both of them equally. The familiar hum begins on cue.  
  
Eyes open and connect and nothing else matters. The fierceness of his expression kindles her blood and she willingly reaches for him. They feel the glow pulsate and grow until it is visible to the human eye.  
  
Willow and Giles sit amazed, as the couple seems to glow until little bursts of golden light are popping around them.  
  
Xander and Dawn exchange a mischievous look just as the golden glow encompasses them totally. Their bodies glow more brightly until they are transparent shadows made of light. The two shadows merge and overlap until one figure is seen. This figure pulses strongly as it reaches a crescendo, the light bulbs in the room begin to burst, taking the room into darkness until the only light comes from the two in the floor.  
  
As quickly as they joined, the shadows retreat and take back solid form. The light dims.  
  
The next sound is Dawn's voice. Not seeming amazed or frightened but irritated. "Oh great, there's a flashlight in the side table beside of you Willow, can you grab it?"  
  
By the time the light is on, Dawn is on the way to the kitchen for a broom to start sweeping up the broken bulbs and Xander is in the hall closet looking for extra light bulbs. Their tasks give Willow and Giles the chance to exchange questioning glances as they both sit in silent amazement to what they just saw.  
  
Finding his voice, Giles calls to Xander as he replaces the light bulb in the hall for the second time in the last 24 hours. "I say, is that --- I mean, how long?"  
  
Xander seems less nervous now as if the activity somehow effused his being with energy and confidence. He looks at Giles with a wry smile, "Bet you weren't expecting the light show, huh?"  
  
Catching the wariness in Giles' expression, he tries to reassure him. "It's cool really, this has been going on for years. It's what we were telling you about."  
  
Giles and Willow both feel a little embarrassed by their earlier brush off of Xander's descriptions of psychic interaction. Obviously, they had underestimated the phenomenon.  
  
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%  
  
Taking a deep breath, Giles again acknowledges that the phenomenon was truly a phenomena. By the time dinner was over, it was getting old. It looked like that were looking at several more hours before any translation came in from London.  
  
"Well, not to be a poor host, but I think Dawnie and I are going to turn in if it's all the same to you. After a little, ah --- show --- you're --- I mean --- it's tiring." Xander explains.  
  
Dawn smirks as she notes that he neglects to mention that he make him horny as all get out. Oh well, some secrets were worth keeping she thinks.  
  
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%  
  
Giles is up waiting for an email from London. After trying to turn in, Willow gives up and comes down to join him preferring to have some company than face a lonely bed. Since Kennedy left, being alone wasn't really that bad. She's channeled all of her energy into her magic, into her work. For a long time it was enough but now ---. Now - with everything all spooky again - it isn't enough.  
  
Giles had been her mentor, her surrogate parent, for such a long time. Now he was her closest ally especially since Buffy went all Betty Crocker on her. But lately, she has started to feel a bit differently towards him, turning to him when she's lonesome. At first thought - and at second - she was quick to attribute her feelings to about one hundred other things but tonight, she really just wants someone to hold her. Magic, power - all the rest - is worthless - without someone who knows you, loves you. She guesses that's it. Giles really knows her.  
  
Sitting on the opposite end of the big sofa from Giles, curled up like a little girl, Willow sighs loudly enough to have him look up from whatever he is reading and look her way. Perhaps it is something in her face or some magic that comes from truly knowing someone else, but he opens his arms to her and she crawls across the sofa without a moment's hesitation.  
  
He holds her until her head falls into his lap and she finally sleeps. He muses to himself that this embrace should feel a bit more strained than it does. It actually feels quite natural, providing him with comfort as well. Too old and too wise to dismiss such a precious emotion even from such an unlikely source, he closes his own eyes as well.  
  
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&  
  
Xander pads down the stairs at daybreak. He smiles at the sight in front him. The saucy witch is curled up like a cat in the Watcher's lap. 'Well, well, well' he thinks. He starts to wake the two but quickly remembers the witch's temper. Umm, being turned into a rat or being skinned alive - he'll pass thank you. He tiptoes on past and on to the kitchen.  
  
He is well on the way to finishing up his first cup of coffee, when the doorbell rings and rings and rings. By the time he's to the door, Giles and Willow are following on his heels.  
  
They open the door only to be confronted with someone's rear. It seems that whoever the visitor is, they are running through a bag of some sort. Before anyone can formulate a question or a greeting, a familiar blond head looks around. Andrew attired in some lovely fake Vulcan ears - speaks with a good bit of hesitancy in his voice. "Ahh, hi guys!" Looking at Giles, he continues, "Ahh, hey boss, I decided to deliver the translation personally. Ya' know, you can never be too sure about email --- anyway, where's Dawnie?"  
  
TBC 


	7. Chapter 7

Fruition 2.0  
  
By Penmom  
  
As you well know, the usual things apply. This is my sequel to my other D/X fic - Dawn's Hero. It is post-BtVS; so it is obviously AU. You may or may not know that this is my second version of Fruition. I really liked how the piece started out but as I continued I felt like I was losing track of Dawn and Xander's characters. I thought to myself - it's your show (for once) just change it and so I have begun again. The story will be similar but hopefully cleaner and clearer. Premise - Dawn and Xander find out more than they wanted to know about the Key and its implications about their future. Let me know what you think, especially if you read Dawn's Hero or Fruition 1.0.  
  
Chapter 7  
  
The Utmost Caution  
  
It was late morning before everyone was settled again. Anxious anticipation hung like a cloak over the group, as the last members came out of the kitchen with mugs of steaming coffee and tea.  
  
Gathered around the large oak table crafted by Xander's own hands, all eyes were poised on the package in Giles' hands. Once the neat stack of paper was pulled from its large brown envelope, their worry and anticipation seemed a bit misplaced.  
  
Reacting to the deflating excitement, Andrew chimes in, albeit nervously, to explain the significance of his work. "Ah, go to the back page, the rest is just part of the code program. The language dates back to the reign of Sargon, the first ruler of Sumeria around 2300 BC. It was primarily used by shaman priests. It's actually pretty similar to cuneiform. The interesting thing is that I theorize that the parchment is much younger. Its origin is probably somewhere around the time of the second Crusade if the information you sent is accurate. It is actually quite similar to several objects already in the Guild's vaults, most of which were produced in monasteries located around Constantinople."  
  
As Andrew explains what he has learned, his anxiousness falls away and his voice deepens with confidence. Even Giles leans forward, allowing the young neophyte Watcher to continue.  
  
"I would venture to guess that the transcription was copied onto the parchment from a much earlier object perhaps some sort of mystical relic pre-dating Christianity. During the crusades, it was fairly common for such an object or charm, if you would, --- one that has lets say has proven itself somehow to be absorbed in some fashion into the mythos of early Christianity."  
  
"It is my thought that we are looking at some sort of ancient incantation that was then transcribed onto the parchment."  
  
Willow's wheels obviously turning, she asks, "You said code. Were you able to translate the inscription?"  
  
Basking in the center of attention, Andrew answers with delight, "Right you are little lady! The language is similar to several others in the Guild's computers so it wasn't all that difficult. I cross referenced with a data base at the Royal..."  
  
"Ok, Ok – Enough with the shop talk!" Xander exclaims, starting to feel some anger that this is his life, Dawn's life that they are taking about and not some moldy old artifact from the Guild's vault.  
  
Speaking up for the first time, Giles agrees, "I agree with Xander, time may be of the essence. What does the ring say?"  
  
"Well, first let me say that this is still a guess, a good guess – but still a guess..."  
  
"Now Andrew, before I do something I'd regret!"  
  
Andrew responds to Xander's latest threat by sticking out his tongue but as Andrew catches the look of censure of Giles' face, he returns to the matter at hand.  
  
"It says, 'Let the Light Release its Fury.' Or something like fury – there was no direct translation for two of the words, the second guess is 'Release the Terrible Fire.' "  
  
Falling back on sarcasm when all else fails, as he looks toward Dawn, Xander quips, "Well, that's just dandy. Gee Hon, which one suits you?"  
  
As Xander and Andrew descend into nothing more than adolescent staging, Giles easily slips back into his role as Senior Watcher, happily taking the mantle back from Andrew. "I say, which ever translation you choose, I venture that the incantation may actually work to somehow channel the energy that you two are clearly manifesting."  
  
Leaning closer into the conversation, Dawn asks, "So it that a good thing or a bad thing?"  
  
Giles' countenance darkens as he answers, "That is what remains to be seen. But until we have a clearer idea of what we are dealing with you and Xander must stay away from the incantation.It quite obviously has something to do with the key and your attempted abduction. We need to be very careful."  
  
While Giles voice does not give an opening for question, Xander questions anyway, feeling more sure of himself now than at seventeen. "Hey G-man, that's all well and good but I have a feeling these Creeps are going to be back and soon. We need to know what this is and out it works while we can."  
  
Dawn joins in just as Xander finishes speaking, "Yeah, I mean, if it could help us control the key, then that would be good, right?" Less confidant than Xander, she looks around the table for support.  
  
She finds it from Willow, who turns to Giles, tilting her head in an endearing way, "Dawnie might be right. We may not have much time before they try again."  
  
Faced with Willow's pleading expression, Andrew's clear expectation of experimenting with the ring, Xander's restlessness and Dawn's optimism, Giles buckles under his better judgement as he longs for the days when the children, were well, children more or less.  
  
"Well, alright then but we must proceed with the utmost caution." Giles says with resignation.  
  
TBC 


	8. Chapter 8

Fruition 2.0  
  
Chapter 8  
  
As the day settled into another rainy Seattle afternoon, the group of dubious houseguests had managed to make themselves at home, much to Xander's chagrin. To her credit, Dawn seemed to be fairing a bit better and was wearing the mantle of hostess with relative ease.  
  
When he had sought refuge in his studio, Willow and Giles were hunched over some moldy old book like two prepubescent girls reading a Tiger Beat. Oh well, to each his own and that was certainly not his own - that is... Andrew was nipping at Dawn's heels in the kitchen while relating the entire third season of Enterprise to her --- bit by boring bit. Around two, Buffy had called and treated everybody to an account of her exceedingly normal day of mommyhood. After that crowning moment, he had made his retreat mumbling something about a deadline on an order.  
  
Once alone in his self styled sanctuary, he felt a bit more like himself - himself now verses his seventeen year old , somewhat gawky, somewhat sad self. The entire day had brought back numerous memories of sitting in the background while others discovered things -- important things --- and consequently made important decisions.  
  
However childish, a part of him wanted to order everyone out of HIS HOUSE saying that he was well equipped to take care of his own wife. That thought brought him to confronting another fact that he had danced around all these years - the fact was a part of him was just fine about having part of this mystical keyness flowing through him. It kind of helped him feel special and yes, he could hear all the arguments that it didn't matter, that he was just as important to the team as everyone else. But, the truth was it did matter. And he liked the look in Willow's eyes last night when she realized the power that he held.  
  
Petty - maybe but true.  
  
Looking down, he realizes that he has made mincemeat out of a damn fine piece of poplar. Oh well.  
  
Deciding against any more contact with power tools today, he sits at his desk and starts to sketch out of few designs running through his head. Drawing helps to remind him that here is a talent that the others don't have. A talent that can damn well support Dawn in fine style - thank you - no Council money needed.  
  
His mind catches on a stray thought - a talent that the others don't have.  
  
He calms at the thought of taking control of the situation. Plus it might just work and it is better than sitting here waiting for the next attack if you will... They have a life to live and that's what they are going to do.  
  
'Terrible Fire, my ass' he thinks. He'll release all the terrible fire they want and then some.  
  
%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%  
  
After take out sushi - so not a good idea - he pleaded a headache and turned in by 9:00 PM. Dawn catching his drift followed suit soon after. By the time she finished up in the bathroom, he was already in bed with the lights off.  
  
The lights from the bathroom silhouette her figure as she leans against the door considering him.  
  
"I know you're awake. So what did you want to talk about?"  
  
"I know you know I'm awake, I was just waiting for you." Propping himself up on his elbows, he looks at her. His voice is a bit husky when he continues, "I though we could make a little light of our own."  
  
Coming away from the door, she takes a stance that is pure Buffy - legs slightly apart, feet firmly planted on the ground, arms crossed. "As flattering as that sounds, what gives? I wasn't born yesterday --- well, not quite anyway."  
  
Her usual direct and funny delivery takes some of the righteous wind out of his sails. She has never been much for subterfuge. It's a beautiful thing.  
  
Holding up his hands in mock surrender before patting the space beside him, he gives up. "OK, I give, Beautiful, I'll tell you. I have an idea."  
  
TBC 


End file.
